Is this yet another Labor Party secret ...By JAMES BOYCE
Is the writer who claims to wear the "true believer tag as a badge of honour" Or is this to be yet another Labor Party secret? When the Tasmanian Labor Party opens its doors to honest debate then perhaps it will be able to face the emptiness of platitudes like "thousands and thousands of meaningful new jobs" and a "booming population and real estate market", and the shame of the self congratulation about the accelerated debt repayment and the nature of the 'investments' so far made by the Government's corporate friends. Perhaps then the voices of the thousands of working poor stuck in casual, insecure and poorly paid employment (and now locked out of the property market as well) will be heard, and the reality that the number of folk eligible for a health care concession actually went up by 6000 last year, be taken seriously. Who knows, perhaps the very serious policy challenges posed by our ageing and disadvantaged population - which is hardly 'booming' - will even be openly discussed. Hopefully this will spark some reflection on the long term financial and human costs of what has been probably been the most short-sighted policy decision of all - to spend most of the increased GST and property tax income on further accelerating what was already a rapid schedule of debt repayment. The decision to further delay the necessary and long overdue investments in our health and community services systems is already costing us all far more than the small interest rates savings achieved - as the near meltdown in the public hospital system testifies. As for the serious concerns about the state of our democracy posed by Majda Flanagan and others - is this no longer a concern of true believers? Does 'prosperity' really justify all? Is the shoddy secret deal with Federal Hotels that will transfer between 10 and 20 million in foregone public money every year until 2023 to the four Farrell siblings - already in the top 50 richest Australian families and moving up fast - to facilitate their takeover of one established Tasmanian tourist business after another, of no importance provided they spend enough of their subsidized profits here?. Are we really meant just to accept without question official assurances that the reason that Gunn's is the best performing top 200 Australian company in the period since 1998, has nothing to do with the sell off of our state forests at bargain basement prices? But first things first. Open up the conference doors - please give your name, so the real debate can begin. James Boyce is a Tasmanian historian and social policy consultant
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RAPID RESPONSE EMAIL: What do you think? Thursday, November 25, 2004 |